Jersey health bosses attribute dental recruitment difficulties to Covid-19 pandemic
Health bosses in Jersey claim that the pandemic has contributed to difficulties in recruiting dental specialists on the island.
The health department suggested that it had been trying to recruit specialists, including orthodontists, for some time but the pandemic has made it even more difficult to find professionals to work in Jersey.
There have been reports that some children are waiting up to six years for orthodontic treatment due to a shortage of qualified dentists working on the island.
Deputy, Geoff Southern, said that the Covid-19 crisis is not the only contributing factor and indicated that budget cuts for public services were also taking their toll.
One patient affected by the shortage of dentists is Georgie Dodd’s daughter. Georgie said that her daughter has been waiting for orthodontic treatment since 2015 after being informed that she would need treatment in 2012 when she was eight years old. The lengthy wait has made Georgie feel guilty about being unable to get treatment for her daughter and she said that she doesn’t want other parents to be in the same situation in the future.
Mr Southern said that funding needs to be made available to address access issues and the lack of dental provision. Mr Southern said that spending less money on dental care makes it seem less important. Dental services should be a priority, with more and more children developing symptoms of decay and being forced to wait to see a dentist or a dental specialist.
A spokesperson for the health department confirmed that two orthodontists are currently working on clearing backlogs and treating priority patients. The average waiting time for children who need orthodontic treatment is two years. The department is also advertising for another full-time orthodontist.
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